


Marriage Counseling

by LadyBuck112



Series: Marriage Counseling [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angry Cullen, Banter, Communication Failure, Cullen Has Issues, F/M, Female Character of Color, Fluff and Angst, Lack of Communication, Marriage, Marriage Counseling, Sex, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Skyhold
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-06-01 07:05:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6506305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBuck112/pseuds/LadyBuck112
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen and Eva Rutherford are ordinary people with ordinary problems. They love one another but get on each others nerves, make mistakes, have attitude problems, have baggage, etc. Can the Inquisition's Marriage and Family Therapist help them to address some of their issues? He tries, but he can only do so much...</p><p>Each chapter represents their monthly marriage counseling appointment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Setting: Skyhold, during regular inquisition stuff, the Inquisitor and Commander Cullen are already married.

Session 1-

 

After receiving numerous complaints from the bartenders at the Herald’s Rest regarding the numerous patrons who came by to just “talk” and receive “advice”, the Inquisition decided to hire a group of professionals who could help Skyhold residents deal with grief, relationships, depression, and other psychological issues.

 

Dr. Cloud, who specialized in relationship and communication skills, carefully made his way over to the seated couple. He noticed that the woman had a soft smile on her face while flipping through a small novel. Her hair was somewhat unkempt, as though she rushed to get ready and forgot to brush her hair. The man on the other hand, had an agitated scowl on his face and stared out the nearby window, his hair was perfectly in place. _The Inquisitor and the Commander?_

 

 _Ok, let’s see what’s going on here,_ “Hello, my name is Dr. Cloud. Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford?” The doctor smiled and extended his hand. Mrs. Rutherford smiled broadly and shook the doctor’s hand. Mr. Rutherford eyed the doctor warily and only extended his hand out of basic courtesy.

 

“Well it’s great to have the two of you here today. May you please follow me into my office?” The doctor opened the door and stepped aside to allow the couple entry. “You may sit down right there.” The doctor got settled behind his desk and pulled out a quill and parchment for notes. “So just to lay out a few ground rules, this is a safe place. Anything you share with me will be completely confidential. Please use I statements such as ‘I feel like’ or ‘I was upset because’. In addition, just one person should speak at a time.”

 

“What if one person,” Mr. Rutherford eyed his wife, “Wants to hog all of the talking time?”

 

The doctor smiled kindly, “Well, I’m here to help mitigate that.”

 

“Well, what if one person doesn’t speak much English and just grunts and sighs.” Mrs. Rutherford tilted her chin up at her husband.

 

“Again, I’m here to help the two of you communicate effectively with one another.” The doctor straightened his papers and cleared his throat. “Now, why are you two here? Who would care to start?”

 

Mr. Rutherford rubbed the back of his neck and raised an eyebrow at his wife, “I’m sure you’d like to go first. You did initiate this ridiculous meeting.”

 

“You’re right Mr. Rutherford. I do want to start first and I _did_ initiate this meeting.” Mrs. Rutherford turned her attention back to the doctor seated before them, “Mr. Rutherford doesn’t-“

 

“Remember, _‘I feel’_ statements are best received by the listener?” The doctor interjected.

 

“Right, _‘I feel’ like_ Mr. Rutherford isn’t supportive of my training habits and extracurricular activities.”

 

The doctor raised an eyebrow as he wrote his notes, “Ok please share what some of those activities are my Lady.”

 

“Well, for example, my friends and I like to train and have fun while doing so! He seems to get annoyed that I don’t want to train here in Skyhold.”

 

Ser Rutherford sat forward in his seat, “Are you going to tell him _where_ you like to train, and what _kind_ of dummies you like to use?”

 

Lady Rutherford rolled her eyes, “I don’t know why it bothers you that I go to the Follow Mire to train! The undead are simply live dummies. You should take your scouts there.”

 

The doctor sucked in a deep breath, that _is_ a little strange, but he had to be neutral. “Ok, and how does this make you feel Mr. Rutherford?”

 

“I feel like it’s a waste of time. After a while, the undead no longer makes you  stronger but they are still dangerous. _I_ feel that it’ll be best to stay out of unnecessary danger.”

 

Mrs. Rutherford rolled her eyes, “Cullen simply doesn’t understand that it’s a wonderful middle ground between sparring with live people and the fake dummies he uses for his troops. And it’s fun making sure we don’t accidently hit one of those strong ass animals that end up trying to kill us! Besides, it’s not like I’m hunting dragons...”

 

“Anymore.” Cullen interjected.

 

“Whatever.”

 

The doctor looked up from his writing, “Ok, perhaps there is some middle ground here…Lady Rutherford, you want to train, but not with the fake dummies here at Skyhold. Ser Rutherford, you don't want your wife in unnecessary danger…” His eyes twinkled at the couple before him, “Do you have any suggestions?”

 

Mr. Rutherford rubbed his face in thought, “Perhaps, we could wake up a bit earlier than the troops and train together?”

 

Mrs. Rutherford considered the thought, “Maybe we _can_ train together…just the two of us...I guess Bull can continue to train with the Chargers, Cassandra, and Blackwall…”

 

Mr. Rutherford noticed that his wife was chewing on her bottom lip as she often did when other thoughts were crossing her mind.

 

“Great! The two of you are doing well so far.” The doctor said, noting his clients shifting body language. “Let’s continue, how are the two of you doing in other areas, such as intimacy?”

 

“Good.”

“Bad.”

 

They answered in unison. The doctor raised an eyebrow, “Ok, there seems to be opposing ideas on what intimacy is or its perceived status. Let’s start with you Ser Rutherford.”

 

Cullen cleared his throat, “Well, I thought…wait, what do you mean by ‘bad’?!”

 

“Wait, wait, Ser Rutherford that may not be what she meant, I’d like for you to explain why _you_ think things are going well.”

 

Slightly pissed off, he answered, “Well I assumed that everything was good: we fuck like every night, everywhere, and at whatever time. We also make love occasionally...”

 

Mrs. Rutherford, rolled her eyes, “This,” she waved her hand in her husband’s direction, “Is the problem. Josephine set up a romantic evening for the two of us to go to Orlais to see the opera and what did he do? He slept through the entire thing!”

 

“I wasn’t sleep; I probably passed out from the bloody nonsense I was hearing.”

 

The doctor nodded his head in understanding, “So, to you Ser Rutherford-“

 

“Cullen.”

 

“Ah hem, to Cullen, intimacy is sex. And to you my lady, intimacy is quality time?” Cullen shrugged his shoulders, his wife nodded in agreement.

 

“We do spend quality time together we play chess; we hang out with friends…” Cullen didn’t understand. Didn’t she know there’s a shitload of shit to take care of?

 

Mrs. Rutherford nodded her head in agreement, “Yes, we do those things, but I want us to go out sometimes and get away from Skyhold. I also want to not " _fuck_ ". I want us to make love more often.”

 

The doctor pursed his lips together in thought, “Perhaps there is somewhere special away from Skyhold that the two of you can visit together? A place that is quiet but intimate where the two of you can talk?”

 

They silently thought about it, “Hmm, Cullen we haven’t visited the lake in Denerim in a very long time…”

 

Cullen agreed, “You are right. Maybe we can go there a bit more often…maybe we can bring a few items to make things a bit more…comfortable.”

 

The doctor smiled approvingly. “Excellent you two. As a note, intimacy is much more than sex. I understand that you two are leading a group through a war, but do make time for the two of you to connect emotionally, socially, and in other ways besides...uh...rushed sexual stimulation." The doctor clasped his hands. "This ends our session for the day. Your assignment is to spend this week training together and take one day this month to visit your special lake, alone and with proper provision. When we meet again next month, I’d like an update.”

 

The couple nodded in agreement and thanked him.

 

Dr. Cloud stood up from behind his desk and extended his hand out to the couple before him. He watched as the couple exited the room. As they walked down the hallway, he noticed Cullen grab the Inquisitor’s bum and squeeze it affectionately. She giggled and exaggerated the sway of her hips as she walked in front of him, Cullen stared intently on said hips.

 

Dr. Cloud shook his head and sighed, “Yup, there’s no problem in _that_ department apparently.”


	2. Counseling Appointment 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Counseling topic: Sex and Communication issues (again with the communication!).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This counseling appointment addresses the Rutherford Snippet chapter "Arguments Happen" and Training Day.

Dr. Cloud sat in his seat and waited patiently as Cullen and Eva took their seats on the couch in front of him. He noticed that the Commander looked a bit tired, probably from the day’s drills. His hair had loose curls curving over his forehead and ears. He pinched the bridge of his nose either due to pain or annoyance.

 

Eva sighed and crossed her right leg over her left knee. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked perfect.

 

“So,” Dr. Cloud glanced between his two clients, “How are things going between you two?” He was used to the initial silence. People often needed time to sort through their thoughts. They needed time to choose their words carefully or pick how much they wanted to expose. And more often than not, couples tried to be courteous, waiting for the other spouse to speak first. Yes, the silence was normal.

 

Eva cleared her throat and glanced at Cullen before speaking, “Well, doctor, we did try to train together.”

 

“Oh? Well, how did that go?”

 

Cullen smirked a little which brought a smile to Eva’s own face. “Well, we did some sparring, but determined that it’s best if we train on our own or in public places…with others.”

 

“We did train in public, though.” Cullen leaned back on the couch and spread his knees comfortably, sly smirk still on his face.

 

Dr. Cloud tented his fingers, “So what was the problem?”

 

The couple glanced at one another, “This may sound crazy…but we seem to not be able to _not_ have sex with one another?” The doctor raised his eyebrows. “Like we planned to train, but it led to flirting and then sex, then we sparred a little, but ended up having sex right then and there afterwards. And just the other day, we had an argument that led right into sex.”

 

“Alright…” The doctor jotted down a few notes… _too much sex_ … “And Ser, what are your thoughts regarding this?”

 

Cullen’s eyebrows shot up in a “Who? Me?” kind of way, “Oh, well it could seem like a problem to some people but, I don’t know …we love each other and that’s how we express it…” He really hated talking about this with others. This was something that they could easily discuss at home in private. Well…no they couldn’t…

 

Eva shook her head, “Cullen, we have a serious communication problem and you know it.”

 

“I disagree. I think I communicate very clearly. I don’t hold anything back from you. If I want you, I tell you. If I’m upset, you know. Simple.”

 

Dr. Cloud quietly listened to their exchange as he wrote notes.

 

“Did we communicate well the other day, Cullen?”

 

“ _I told_ _you_ that I think we communicate just fine. You knew I was annoyed, you got annoyed, and then we made up.”

 

Eva stared pointedly and Dr. Cloud, “See?”

 

Dr. Cloud nodded, “Let me just say that communicating effectively takes hard work and often times, we smooth things over by withdrawing or as in your case, by having sex without really getting to the main issues.” The doctor assessed his clients reactions and then continued, “Let me ask you this, what was the cause of your frustration during the last argument you had Cullen?”

 

Cullen gave an exasperated sigh, “I felt like she was allowing _someone_ to be too comfortable around her. I felt that the exchange they were having was inappropriate.”

 

“Can I say something about that?” Eva adjusted herself to face Cullen, “You know that the two of us were just playing. Did you think I was going to do something crazy with him? Or is that just your ‘alpha-commander’ man brain acting a damn fool?”

 

“Eva…let’s not have any name calling. Cullen’s concerns and feelings are just as legitimate as yours. Now, Cullen, do you think you addressed your concern in the most positive and…non-aggressive way?”

 

Cullen worked his jaw and turned his eyes towards the window. “Maybe not. But Eva obviously doesn’t communicate like an angel either. And she swiped everything off my desk! The utter disrespect!”

 

“Eva?”

 

Eva sighed and nodded in agreement, “Look, _maybe_ I didn’t have to swipe your desk…but you told me to get out of your office! You were so rude!”

 

“And then what happened?” The couple looked away from one another and blushed, “Let me guess. You two had sex?”

 

Silence.

 

Dr. Cloud sighed, “All is not lost here. Let’s try to get to the root of things, shall we?” The couple nodded.

 

 

“Are the two of you able to simply _talk_ about sex without engaging in it?” Eva pondered the ceiling; Cullen furrowed his brows in thought. “For example, are you able to articulate your turn-ons, your dislikes, your insecurities? Because if you are both able to talk about such an intimate topic which requires a high level of vulnerability, honesty, and trust, then you may be able to talk about other serious areas in your life.”

 

Cullen ran a hand through his hair and stole a glance at his wife. He never wanted to cause her pain, uncertainty, or any kind of trouble. He loved her so much…but they did have a habit of getting carried away with one another, both emotionally and physically. In the back of his mind, he chalked it up to being an “end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it sort of thing.”

 

She caught her husband’s eye. Eva’s mind was made up the first day she saw Commander Cullen Rutherford. She was going to be his forever. She had to commend him for at least coming to not only this counseling appointment, but the one before it. That made her feel loved, like their relationship was important and worth working on. “Ok. What’s the plan?”

 

“Here’s what I want the two of you to do: you are going to spend some time alone and simply talk. I want the two of you to talk about what you need from, love about, and desire from one another. I’m not saying that you two cannot engage physically, but try not to until after you talk. The goal is for the two of you to open up a bit more with one another. It seems like sex is kind of a bandage used to hold your relationship together when things get tough or frightening. But that’s never going to be enough.”

 

Dr. Cloud handed both of them a small journal. “This is for you to write your positive and negative thoughts down in regards to your marriage. Write down the things you love about the other person, your hopes for your shared future, your fears or concerns. When you come back, we’ll discuss a few things. Until then…make it a goal to be open with one another. See you next month.”

 

The therapist stood up respectfully and waited for the commander and inquisitor to leave. Cullen rose up from his seat first and extended a gentlemanly hand to his wife. She took it with a soft smile and walked out the door. Cullen nodded his goodbye to the doctor and followed Eva down the hall.

 

**_To be continued…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you have a suggested counseling appointment topic.
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> LB112


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen visits Dr. Cloud for a solo session to discuss something that's been troubling him.

Cullen plopped down onto the clinical white sofa and exhaled audibly. Dr. Cloud regarded him patiently as he made mental notes to himself. He noticed how the commander rubbed his face with both hands more than once; his eyes often chose to stare blankly at the floor or somewhere other than the doctor before him. His facial hair was about three, maybe four days grown.

Dr.  Cloud sat back in his seat and clasped his hands together before speaking, “Cullen? Son, tell me what’s on your mind.”

Another exasperated sigh seeped out before Cullen chanced a glance at the doctor. He then shook his head as if he found something absolutely ridiculous. “I should be happy,” he began, running his hands through his hair. “I should be _fucking_ happy. “ Noticing that the doctor didn’t press to ask what he should be happy about, Cullen elaborated. “Another baby. She’s pregnant with our third.”

Just hearing the words come out of his mouth panged him. He couldn’t hide his facial expressions from the doctor either who simply nodded his head in understanding.

“So why do you not feel happy about this?” Dr. Cloud asked carefully, gently. Cullen leaned forward and placed his face in his hands. He needed someone to talk to. So he decided to talk to the doctor. Someone he knew was safe and that wouldn’t give him any weird looks. It was his job after all to help him sort shit out right?

“This…just isn’t a good time. We have so much shit going on right now. I just received 200 new volunteer recruits that need training; new territory and negotiations need to be made in Tevinter. What is she going to do? Threaten some fucking magister with her big belly?” He wasn’t joking either. His features were hard as stone.

The psychologist didn’t say anything right away; instead he nodded again and said, “Mmmhmm.” He watched the commander who stared at the small plant on the  desk. A conversation was running through his mind; the doctor could see it in his eyes. “Did you talk to her about how you felt?”

“Yes, well, not exactly. She just blurted out that she was pregnant. I hoped that she was pregnant with ideas only,” he chuckled briefly before continuing, “but she wasn’t…”

“So-”

“You know what pisses me off?  I thought she was back on the deathroot tea. I _thought_ she told me that she was. I asked her, no, I _told her and made_ it very clear that we are to _wait_ until this is over before we had another child.” Now he stood up and paced the room, hands on his hips. “I want to have more children, Dr. Cloud. But… _fuck_!”

“What did she say regarding this, Ser?”

Cullen leaned his head back and closed his eyes before resuming his thoughtful pace from one end of the room to the other. “She told me to fuck-off and began to cry. When she told me that she was expecting, I was shocked. I was speechless…”

“Is this how you responded to the previous two announcements?”

Cullen shook his head sadly; he could see himself leaping up and hoisting his wife into his arms, kissing her all over her pretty little head. He was so happy. But that was then. Things were crazy, but somewhat manageable…Then with the second announcement, he smiled at her, kissed her and then they made love… “No.” He made his way slowly to the plain white couch and sat back down, legs parted, elbows resting on his knees.

Dr. Cloud pushed his glasses up his nose, “Cullen, if you were able to describe how you feel in one word, what would it be?” Dr. Cloud slid Cullen a piece of parchment with descriptive words: happy, sad, guilty, honored, annoyed, embarrassed…Dr. Cloud knew that sometimes it was easiest for a guy to choose something off the list then to pin point the exact feeling off the top of his head.

Cullen thought for a moment as he examined the list. “I don’t know. Besides shocked…angry? I don’t mean to be. I’ve stayed away a bit more, putting all my energy into training and paperwork. I haven’t touched her since she told me a week ago…and trust me, that’s a very long time for us to not be together.” Another sigh.

Dr. Cloud steepled his fingers together and stared thoughtfully at his client, “Sometimes,” his voice was gentle and careful again, his eyes full of aged wisdom and intelligence, “we as men, especially, can come off as being angry when we are actually worried or afraid. Perhaps you are not really angry at your wife, yourself, or this situation, but are anxious. The world is still very dangerous, but life has gone on for many people here at Skyhold and across Thedas. Somehow you and the inquisitor have been able to manage raising a family. That, my friend, is amazing, commendable, and can be very emotionally stressful.”

Cullen nodded in agreement. He couldn’t put his finger on it until now, “That’s exactly how I feel. I’m so afraid that the relative safety we’ve tried to establish just won’t be enough to protect everyone, even my own children. This isn’t what I envisioned for my family. I want us to be off and away from all of this. I want my children to have a real home…I worry for my wife every moment she leaves here.”

He closed his eyes and a vision of his parents appeared briefly in his mind. His parents…they didn’t survive the blight and ended up leaving behind four children. Yes, they were much older than his little ones, but the pain was experienced nonetheless. What if something happened to him? What if something happened to their mother?

“I just don’t want them to suffer. I can barely hold things together with my own…issues and responsibilities.”

The doctor nodded again, “Consider what you have here, Cullen. You have your growing family and they are as safe as they can be behind these large stone walls. But more importantly, just know that your children were born or conceived at the time appropriate for their destiny.” Dr. Cloud stood up from behind his desk and sat next to Cullen on the sofa.

“The Maker has been by my side many times,” he sighed before continuing, “And I should consider this as a blessing opposed to…a burden…”

Dr. Cloud smiled, “Cullen, you have many people who will do anything for you because they are your loyal friends. Others have sworn to protect those here at Skyhold and assist in this new challenge  the inquisition is a part of. Continue to utilize the assistance you have. Remember that you and your wife are not alone in the endeavor of protecting and raising these little children.”

Cullen chuckled, “You’re right. I remember the old saying, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’.” Not that he wanted everyone in his kids face though. In addition, his kids were his responsibility, but he got the point. And with all things considered, they _did_ manage to raise their kids here at Skyhold along with a few other families. They had a playroom, a nanny, they played outside, and they were loved by the inner circle. Perhaps spoiled.

“And who knows, Ser Cullen, your children may just be the thing that helps you to stay balanced. You can’t just be the commander; you are a husband _and_ a father. That responsibility and burden is real, yes. But it is also a new source of passion and vigor. Embrace it.”

“So what do I do now? M’lady is still crossed with me…”

Dr. Cloud chuckled and stood up with the young Commander, “I suggest you start out with an apology and then tell her the truth. Honestly share how you have been feeling, your worries and fears. Be vulnerable with her. That is how the two of you have gotten to where you are now: honesty and vulnerability and trust.”

Cullen nodded and gave him a crooked smile. “Thank you, doctor. I’m glad you are here to help me sort things out.”

He nodded and smiled, “That’s what I’m paid for. Now, is there anything else?”

“No thank you Ser, we’ll be here for our regular appointment in a few weeks.”

“Maker be with you, Commander.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading X)


End file.
